by Patrick Lozada and Katie Nelson
Image credit: Graphic Reality.
More casualties have been added to the growing list of animals in China dying of uncertain causes and in mass quantities. This time, in a spectacle almost beautifully macabre, five dead swans were found floating on the water’s surface.
The incident happened at a pond on Anhui Unversity’s old campus in Hefei. The pond was previously home to 13 black swans, and they were something of a beloved novelty to the locals. The swans lived a simple life and didn’t ask for much but a small pool of water to casually float about in while gracing onlookers with their beauty. Now, due to unknown reasons, five of the handsome creatures are no more.
A reporter from Star News was sent to investigate the situation and was not impressed by what he found:
The water had an oily quality to it, and quite a lot of garbage could be seen on the surface. From what he could ascertain from locals, many people often used the pond to rinse cloths, mops, mats and other items containing various chemicals.
Tests have yet to determine whether the animals were killed by pollution, animal attack, or natural causes. Either way, dead floating animals are becoming an epidemic.
Last week, the carcasses of around 1,000 dead ducks were discovered in a river in Sichuan Province in Western China.
And who can forget about the continuing ‘Hog Wash’ scandal? Wherein more than 16,000 pigs were discovered dumped into the Huangpu river, the source for some of Shanghai’s water supply.
If these recent animal deaths are all in some way linked, let’s hope this is the end. If not, for God’s sake, spare the kittens.
